Supermarkets would be required to provide at least one checkout isle free of junk food displays under a proposal to cut obesity in the ACT.

The ACT Government has released its Towards Zero Growth strategy which outlines ways to make active and healthy lifestyle choices easier, in a bid to achieve zero growth in obesity.

Two-thirds of adults and 25 per cent of children in the ACT are overweight or obese.

The strategies include regulating sugary drinks and restricting the advertising of unhealthy foods, within the Government's regulatory control.

Government workplaces would offer more healthy food and drink options for workers while incentives would be offered for workers to take part in exercise.

The introduction of national healthy food guidelines for school tuckshops would also be mandated.

Chief Minister Katy Gallagher says a mandatory code for supermarkets to have at least one checkout clear of junk food is also being considered.

"Anyone with young children knows the battles you have at the checkout with the availability of chocolates and lollipops. It's targeted to children, it's there for a purpose," she said.

Ms Gallagher admits some of the actions are controversial and require community discussion.

"It has taken many years for our unhealthy lifestyles to create this weight problem and it will take many more to start to turn it around," she said.

"I actually see this very much like the anti-smoking campaign which took 20 to 30 years to roll through. This is very much the same approach and we're really at the beginning of that now."

It has been predicted 80 per cent of adults in the Territory will be overweight by 2025.

"This is the trajectory we're on and it can't continue. We've got to start looking at things we're not doing now, because whatever we're doing now is not delivering the results," she said.

"The magnitude of having a population where 80 per cent are obese ... the impact of that is going to be significant. We will have a health care system we can't afford and the social and individual impacts of that are massive."

Ms Gallagher says it is important the Government shows leadership on the issue.

"Individuals have to ultimately make that decision for themselves. But we can certainly encourage education, raise awareness and give people other alternatives to a sedentary lifestyle," she said.

'Nanny state'

Opposition Leader Jeremy Hanson says the change is an impost on supermarkets.

Mr Hanson says adults should be able to make their own decisions about what they buy.

"I really don't think that we should be doing this," he said.

"This seems like the nanny state to me, ultimately if someone wants to grab a packet of lollies on the way out of the supermarket once a week when they do their shopping then that seems reasonable to me."

Canberra supermarket manager Manuel Xyrakis says it will be a hard policy to implement for smaller independent grocers.

"Some of the smaller stores only have two checkouts or three checkouts," Mr Xyrakis said.

"And yes it is an impulse buy, but I think it's more to do with education.

"You have to know what you should eat and I don't think it's too hard to say to your child, if you just say no you can't eat that it should be no."

Tony Stubbs from Heart Foundation ACT says a comprehensive, whole of government approach is the way to go in tackling the issue.

"It will give us our best chance of actually addressing the major issue of overweight and obesity in the ACT," Mr Stubbs said.